No Sense
Reading through the comments on the Irish Independent site has been an interesting (if depressing) education into the mindset of the people who voted against the Lisbon Treaty. Honestly, they’re a bit of a puzzle.
They want to give the repressed people of Europe a voice, but would really rather they stayed in their own country and didn’t come over here to take our jobs, work hard and enrich our economy.
They’re against unelected Eurocrats, but are dead set on keeping our unelected Commissioner (for the 5 years in every 15 that we wouldn’t have one, that is).
They’re for democracy, but want Ireland’s 4 million people to have the same sway as Germany’s 80 million.
They’re against the undemocratic EU, but voted against giving ordinary citizens, national parliaments and the European Parliament more say in EU decision making.
They’re for referendums, but not too many of them.
Reports that the government might hold another referendum next year, after getting assurances on the big anxiety issues like the number of commissions, tax sovereignty and neutrality, has sent No voters into a frenzy of auto-Godwining apoplexy.
What are they afraid of? It’s as if they think that the evil Eurocrats will use a mind ray to force people to vote Yes (though this probably sounds reasonable to the fabulously loony Jim Corr, who’ll likely be modelling a tinfoil hat on the cover of the next Corrs album).
No voters, if you’re convinced you’re against all the things in the things actually in the Lisbon Treaty, then vote No again. If there’s more of you than there are people who vote Yes, then you win again.
But the way they’re reacting, you’d almost think that they’re afraid that once the 40% of people who didn’t know what they were voting against last time find out what’s actually in the treaty, they might vote Yes instead.
It’s a tricky thing, that will of the people.
June 20th, 2008 at 6:13 pm
Now now. It might not be that bad. There might never be another Corrs album…
June 22nd, 2008 at 10:47 pm
We can only hope.
June 23rd, 2008 at 12:19 pm
I take it back. He’s now said he’s going to run for political office. In this country, he may well get in…
June 23rd, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Well – we’ve got a good track record of lunatic ex-singers representing us in the European Parliament.